With pre-season now in full swing, the cogs are beginning to turn at Manchester United on the transfer front, with the new INEOS regime looking to make a statement in a bid to improve upon last season's mixed bag of a campaign.
The latest indication is that a deal for Bologna and Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee is all but done, with the 23-year-old set to sign on the dotted line after helping to guide the Serie A side to Champions League qualification last term, having netted 12 goals in all competitions.
That impending deal for the Dutchman looks set to be merely the start of a busy summer for the Red Devils amid parallel interest in the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt, with further moves also seemingly in the pipeline…
Man Utd ready bid for Premier League talent
According to Football Insider, the Old Trafford outfit are readying an offer for former loanee, Sergio Reguilon, with the Spaniard set to be available for a cut-price fee amid his lowly standing at parent club Tottenham Hotspur.
As per the report, the 27-year-old – who spent the first half of 2023/24 in Erik ten Hag's squad – could command a fee of just £10m this summer, having initially been signed for close to £32m back in 2020.
The piece adds that while Chelsea's Ben Chilwell is also an option for Ten Hag and co at left-back, amid the injury woes of Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw, a return for Reguilon is seen as a more 'straightforward' target for INEOS.
How Man Utd can get the best out of Sancho
It is fair to say that the former Real Madrid man didn't pull up too many trees during his six-month stay in Manchester last season, restricted to just 12 appearances in all competitions after being brought in as injury cover on deadline day.
That lack of impact – which saw the defender fail to register a goal or an assist – wasn't helped by injury issues of his own, however, with it difficult to judge the full-back too greatly on that temporary, short-term spell.
What Reguilon did subsequently showcase in the latter half of the campaign at Brentford is the quality that he can bring in the final third, ending the season with four assists, while having created six 'big chances' and averaged 1.1 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.
Stat
Reguilon
Shaw
Games
25
12
Goals
0
0
Assists
4
0
Big chances created
6
1
Key passes per game
1.1
1.1
Pass accuracy
76%
86%
Tackles & interceptions per game
3.1
1.4
Balls recovered per game
3.8
4.9
Successful dribbles per game
0.6
0.6
Dribbled past per game
1
0.5
Total duels won
57%
47%
Possession lost per game
11.8
11.8
That attacking intent from the "quality" talent – as hailed by pundit Noel Whelan – could well be one way to get the best out of the high profile figure of Jadon Sancho, with the Englishman's lengthy exile coming to an end on Friday amid his shock return to training.
Following a public spat with Ten Hag back in September, the 24-year-old – who spent the second half of the season back at Borussia Dortmund – has been out in the cold, epitomising a relatively meagre spell at United in which he has contributed just 18 goals and assists in 82 games.
Now back in the first-team fold, there are still lingering suggestions that a permanent departure lies in store, yet if Sancho is to remain, he could look to cement a place for himself on the left flank – challenging friend and colleague Marcus Rashford after the latter man's limp return of just eight goals last term.
What Sancho needs, however, is to 'move in co-ordination with an overlapping full-back' – as The Athletic wrote back in 2022 – with the former Manchester City product lacking that 'explosive burst of pace' needed to bypass a defender
Speed is one thing which Reguilon offers in abundance – as indicated below – hence the way in which he could repeatedly bomb forward alongside Sancho, giving the winger the distraction and space that he needs to wreak havoc. That is unlikely to come from the right flank, where Diogo Dalot regularly seeks to invert.
As the £73m man showcased back in Germany in recent months – notably claiming the Man of the Match award in the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain – there is still a player in there waiting to be unlocked, having notably chalked up 120 goal involvements in just 158 games across his two spells at Dortmund.
With the backing of a relentless attacking presence like Reguilon, there may remain a route to success for Sancho at United, although only time will tell if he and Ten Hag have truly put their differences aside.
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ByAngus Sinclair